Ferdinand lascar



UNTTED STATES PATENT Gaston.

FERDINAND LASCAR, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK SIIICGELBERG, OF SAME PLACE.

FILTERING MATERIAL.

SPECIFICATIQN formingpart of Letters Patent No. 488,817, dated December 20, 18952.

Application filed February 11, 1892- SerialNo. 421,089. (No specimens.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND IIASCAR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Filtering Materiahof which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to improvements in filtering materials adapted for use either alone or in combination with other filtering materials for filtering water and other liquids and for acting upon the same chemically to destroy bacteria, white algge; to neutralize ammonia compounds and free ammonia, or in other words, to render water, containing impurities dangerous to health and life, clear, clean, and palatable.

I have found that tannate of iron has the property of forming insoluble combinations with albuminoid ammonia, and that it dostroys bacteria, white algae and other nitroorganisms, so that when contaminated water is brought in contact'with tannate of iron, it becomes purified and deodorized. If therefore, tannate of iron is fixed upon a suitable filtering substance, which by itself mechanically intercepts the passage thereth rough of bacteria and insoluble impurities,-the water passing through that substance will be filtered both mechanically and chemically. I have found also that jute fiber is an excellent mechanical filter, and that it can be-impregnated with tannate of iron without affecting the elasticity and the strength of the fiber; so that this fiber when thus impregnated with tannate of'lron, will notbecome undulypacked or felted but will remain as elastic as it was before impregnated. It will, therefore, continue to act as an excellent mechanical filter, while, by reason of the presence of the tannate of iron, it will also act as a chemical filter as above indicated.

My invention therefore consists in amechanico-chemical filter, composed of jute, im-

pregnated with tannate of iron, or, as will' hereinafter appear, with gallo-tannate of iron.

For the purpose of my invention it is immaterial in what manner the jute is impregnated with tannate of iron or with gallo tannate of iron, provided the jute is thoroughly cleansed before imprcgnatiombut the process which I have practiced with great success and which I prefer, is as follows: The jute is first immersed in a bath of diluted hydro-chloric acid, and while I am not confined to any particular degree of dilution of the acid, I have found that the proportion of one part'of chemically pure hydro-chloric acid, to nineteen parts of water, answers mypurpose; and if this strength is used the jute need onlyremain about ten minutes in the bath, afterwhich it is removed and washed in water. In this manner the jute is thoroughly cleansed from all impurities, and I prefer to use hydro-chloric acid for this purpose in preferthough it issu fiicient that the water be drained olf. The mass is then immersed in a bath as follows: eight fluid ounces of a solution of sesquichloride of iron of the strength prescribed by the United Sta/cs Pharmacoptcza. Two hundred grains of permanganate of potash, and ten gallons of water. heated to a temperature of S0 Centigrade, and the jute is allowed to remain in the bath for about two hours, the temperature of the bath being'maintai-ncd at about centigrade in any suitable manner. -The jute is then taken out of the bath and spread on boards to allow the superli uous liquid to'drain off, and is then transferred to a boiler filled with a four per cent. tannic acid solution and is there boiled from a period of twenty to thirty minutes. In this manner the sesquichloride ofiron with which the jute has been impregnated,.is converted into tannate of iron, and the object of my process is thus accomplished. In this step of the process, the permanganate of potash might be omitted, b' I have found that its use is beneficial, in so far as it prQ- motes the impregnation with sesquichloride of iron. Similarly I have found that to the tannic acid solution, maybe added with great This bath is advantage, one quarter per cent. of gallic acid. It the gallic acid is not used, the resultant product upon and in the jute, is tannate of iron or digallate of iron, while when gallic acid is used in addition to the tannin, tetra-gallate of iron'is also formed upon and in the jute, whereby the purifyingeiifects of the filterirn material are increased. ltivill consequently be understood that in .place of the IQ tannin, I may use galiic altogether, but since this substance is by far more expel sire than tannin, the latter with a small addition of gallic acid is preferably used. After the boiling of the jute in the tannic acid solution, or in the gallic acid solution, or in a mixture of both, it is removed from the boiler and washed in clear Water until. the latter ceases to be colored. The jute is then pressed, spread out and dried in a Warm place at a temperatu re not exceeding 80", centig'rado.

The jute thus prepared is absolutely free from all impurities, and is very eltective as a filtering material. 13y reason of its structure, it prevents the passage therethrough of macro phyces, v-ibriones, fiagellata, microscopical edge, and other micro-organisms; and in addition thereto, these organisms are decomposed by the tannate of iron, as are all albuminous compounds. These being the char- 3o acteristics of my improved filtering material itmay properly be defined by theappcllation, anti-septic and anti-bacterial jute.

Vihile I have found that jute is an excellent material serving as a base or carrier for the tannate of iron, I do notmean to be absolutely confined to the use of the jute, since I have found that the vegetable fiber, known as ramie may be impregnated with the tannate of iron by my process with good elfec 40 and may be used as a substitute for jute. I therefore use the term jute generically as covering, not only jute proper, but also other Vegetable fibers which have the same or similar characteristics, and more especially do I 5 use this term to cover the fiber known as ramie.

A remarkable characteristic of jute, which therefore a greater capacity for storing tannate of iron than other fibers, and being free from nitrogenous;matter, it will resist decay a much longer time than substances containin: such compounds.

Sponges, and organic porous substances, when used as filters, even when impregnated with tannate of iron, soon becomes a hot bed for bacterial life, because the impregnation is and can only be superficiai; t" true of cotton and the various felts, whi h more over readily loose their elasticity. .1 pack permanently, and can, therefore, t. be thoroughly cleansed by a return flow of water, as is now the common practice in improved filtering; apparatus. In such apnara .us fibrous materials are usually held under pressure, whereby inelastic fibers receive a permanent set, while jute does not receive such permanent set, so that when the pressure is relieved. it rises again, offering a free passage for the return flow of the cleansing stream.

The great storage capacity for tannatc of iron and the great elasticity of the fiber, are the characteristics which render j ute so highly cilicient as a chcinico-mechanical filter, and these are the characteristics upon. which 3 mainly rely. v I

My improved filtering material maybe used in a variety of Ways, either alone or combined with other filtering materials, as for instance, in the manner and in the combination set forth in Letters Patent No. 424,679, granted to me on April 1, 189i.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure my Letters Patcut:

1. A filteringmatcrial consisting ofjuteim 

